


Eat You Up

by Vmello



Series: Mythic verse [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cullrian is the main pairing, Incubus!Cullen, M/M, Modern AU, Mythic au, Smut, the others are minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:34:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5076241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vmello/pseuds/Vmello
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a night of drinking with Hawke and the Kirkwall gang Cullen wakes up with an insatiable hunger. When nothing he eats satisfies him he asks for Dorian's help to find out whats wrong with him. </p><p>Inspired by this prompt: “i just got turned into an incubus or a succubus and i’m like the least smooth and most self-conscious person on the planet so i’m literally starving because i don’t know how to seduce people” AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So [here's](http://vellomello.tumblr.com/post/129720905021/av-mello-ok-so-i-have-a-cullrian-or-mhawkris) the original post for the au I'm basing this in, but I'll do a quick rundown here too.  
> Mythics= Any being that has magical properties or descends from magic  
> Witches= Humanoid mythics, such as vampires, mages, werewolves, sirens, faeres ext  
> Beasts= Animal like mythics, such as dragons, griffons, unicorns, sphinxes ext  
> Circles= A registry that all mythics are forced to be in. Unregistered mythics are outlaws.  
> Templars= A police force that specifically monitors and hunts mythics  
> Eccubi= Gender neutral Cubi  
> Cubi= plural form for succubi/incubi/eccubi when not talking about a specific gender
> 
> For this story Dorian is a registered Mage, Hawke, Merrill, Anders, and Solas are unregistered Mages, Isabela is an unregistered Siren, and Fenris is a registered werewolf.
> 
> Also the rating is for later.

Generally Cullen likes mornings, though usually it doesn’t feel like he is being personally victimized by the sun as it pours in through his open curtains. He buries his face in his pillows and groans as he pulls his blanket up over his head to shield himself from the brightness. He’s no stranger to waking up with splitting headaches, though he’s pretty sure this time it had little to do with withdrawal. He would be content to spend most of the morning burrowed under his covers not moving, but he feels like he hasn’t eaten in days and is forced to chose between the discomfort of hunger, or the forgiving warmth of his bed. Eventually hunger wins out. 

He groans again as he, almost literally, drags himself out of bed. He pauses on the edge of his bed and tries to piece together what he could of the night before as he waits out the pounding in his ears and slight tilt to the room. He doesn’t remember getting home, or getting in bed. He’s still wearing his jeans from last night, but his shirt is nowhere to be found in his room. When he finally thinks he can stand without immediately falling over, or possibly vomiting, he shimmies out of his jeans and into a pair of comfortable, if not a little beat up, sweatpants. He makes his way down the hall to the kitchen slowly, trailing his hand along the wall for support. Maker, why did he let Hawke convince him going out was a good idea. 

There was once a time that if you told him that he and Hawke would call each other friends he would have called you crazy. Back when he was a Templar and it was his job to regulate people like Hawke. Those days were long behind him, and since then, since he left Kirkwall and the Templars, things had changed. He struck up an unexpected friendship with Varric when the dwarf moved to Haven, and reconciled with Hawke and the others for ‘being a total ass’. Hawkes words, not his. Though he wouldn’t deny them if asked about it. 

They weren’t the best of friends, but when Hawke showed up to visit Varric with his brother, Fenris, Isabela and Merrill he wasn't surprised that they invited him to some of their tamer outings. He _was_ a bit surprised when Varric called him up last night insisting he come with to Hawke and Fenris’ going away party. They were leaving earlier than the others to get back to Kirkwall for the full moon. Said going away party being a series of stops at almost every bar and club in the city. He was even more surprised when he said yes. He doesn’t remember much beyond that. 

When he makes it to the kitchen he’s greeted by his shirt spinning lazily on the ceiling fan. He lets out a small huff of laughter as he tries to remember how it got there before pulling it on. It may not be the cleanest, but he’ll change later if he decides to go out at all. When he finally opens the fridge he just stands in the cool air for a moment. He thinks about the egg carton for a moment, but settles on grabbing the half of a hoagy he had left from lunch a few days ago, fairly certain that it’s still good. He eyes it skeptically before shrugging and taking a bite. It tastes bland, more so then he remembers it being, but not like it had gone bad. He grabs a bag of chips from the pantry as well as a tall glass of water then makes his way to the living room, stopping off in the bathroom first to grab some ibuprofen.

Cullen turns on the tv and sets the volume low, some rerun of an old sitcom he’s never seen and doesn’t particularly care about is playing. He doesn’t so much care what’s on, more so he just really likes to have some background noise. After he practically inhales his sandwich he opens up his bag of chips and pops a handful in his mouth. They taste stale, but the date on the bag indicates they should still be good. He blames it on the hangover. 

Even after finishing the entire bag of chips he still feels hungry, and his hangover doesn’t seem to have any plans of going away. He makes his way back to the kitchen and grabs the eggs from the fridge. He cracks two eggs into a cup to scramble and considers the remaining egg. With his other hand he pokes at the excess fat on his abdomen. He had gained some extra weight when his withdrawal finally let up, and was planning to go on a diet soon to take care of it. He just sighs and cracks the last egg, thinking _I'll just start tomorrow._

As he waits for his eggs to cook he grabs an apple from his fruit bowl. He nearly spits it out when he takes a bite. It isn't rotten, but there was something just slightly off. Something he could have ignored if it wasn't for the fact that it had been the same thing with everything he had eaten this morning. Something wasn't right. 

He throws his apple in the trash and finishes making his eggs. There’s something off about them too, but he’s still so hungry he practically inhales them nonetheless. Next he grabs a popsicle from the freezer. It’s mango, his favorite treat, if it doesn't taste good then there is definitely something wrong with him. He winces when he bites into the frozen treat, and when the ache of his teeth passes he nearly sobs at the slight 'offness' of flavor.

 _Maker no, I'm a vampire,_ is his first though. He is quick to brush it off though. His racing heart and the warm sun on his skin are clear signs that it’s highly unlikely. He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to remember last night, tries to piece together what might have put him in this state. 

He remembers Hawke and the gang, drinking way more than he should have. A pretty elf girl at the bar and everyone encouraging him to talk to her. A flash of light, the taste of magic in his mouth and electricity in the air. Then nothing else. _Maker Hawke, what did you do?_ He takes a moment to calm himself down. Then sends a text to Dorian. 

**Something is wrong. I think it's magic. Are you free?**

He waits then, impatiently tapping his phone on his knee. What was only minutes passing feels like hours until he gets a reply from Dorian. He nearly drops his phone when it buzzes in his hand.

 **well i am now >:T come over asap** After a short pause his phone goes off again, Dorian adding, **call me with the details**

Cullen lets out a relieved sigh. Dorian is a good friend, one of the only and best he has, and one of the most capable mages Cullen has ever met. Surely he should be able to help. Cullen pulls on his jacket and dials Dorian’s number as he steps out the door. 

After recounting what he could remember of the previous night about a dozen times, and listing off all of his symptoms to Dorian over and over again, Cullen finds himself sitting shirtless the floor with Dorian’s fingers lightly tracing runes over his back. He’s sitting as still as possible, holding his breath. He hopes that Dorian just assumes that his awkwardness is due to his history with mythics and magic, and that the mage doesn’t notice the goosebumps caused by every brush of his fingers. Every time Dorian pulls away to take notes of whatever the runes reveal to him Cullen takes a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists where they sit in his lap. It’s been a long time since Cullen was in any state of undress with anyone, and even longer since he felt someone touch his bare skin like this. There’s nothing sexual about it, but Dorian’s hands feel amazing on him. 

It isn’t like he hasn’t noticed how attractive Dorian is before now. Actually, attractive seems like an understatement. Dorian is gorgeous, but Cullen has never felt so acutely aware of that fact then in this moment. He nearly flinches when Dorian reaches over to him and starts massaging his shoulder. He lets out a soft whimper and lets his head loll forward as Dorian’s nimble fingers work over his muscles. _Maker’s balls, I need a cold shower._

“You should go rest. This could take some time and sitting here worrying while I work won’t do you any good. I’ve worked with corpses that were twice as lively and half as rigid as you are right now,” Cullen can’t help but tense as Dorian slowly drags a finger down the line of his spine, as if for example. “You can use my room, last door on the left, same hallway as the bathroom.”

Cullen thanks him and starts down the hall at a brisk walk, hoping to keep Dorian from noticing that he’s half hard. He realizes, just before he opens the door, that he has never seen Dorian’s room before. Usually, whenever he comes over they spend their time in the living room, kitchen, or dining room. On a few occasions, when he needed the company but Dorian was busy they would go to his office, or the lab in the basement. Dorian working while he read or browsed the web on his phone or Dorian’s laptop. 

‘You look like some mad scientist witchdoctor,’ he remembers saying the first time they spent time in the lab. The e-mail to his sister he was tapping out on his phone was long forgotten about as he watched Dorian work. As a Templar he had seen witches work before, both with science and magical theory, and on occasion a mix of both, but not like Dorian. Being registered under the Tevinter Circle he had liberties that local mythics didn’t, much to the annoyance of the local Templars. Once Cullen would have found watching Dorian work terrifying. Now it was just fascinating. Dorian looked up at him, and even though he couldn’t see it behind the mage’s face mask he could tell Dorian was smirking at him. ‘I wouldn’t call it an inaccurate description’ he’d said. It was in that moment that Cullen saw that the dead animal Dorian was working on was now decidedly less dead.

Dorian’s lab is a personal space to him. Cullen could see how hesitant he was to invite Cullen into it the first time. It’s probably his most private space.. So going into his bedroom shouldn’t feel as invasive as it does. Maybe it was just the fact that Dorian wouldn’t be with him, but Cullen couldn’t help but hesitate at the door. He isn’t sure what to expect, so he closes his eyes as he swings the door open, and lets it be a surprise. 

The first thing that hits him before he opens his eyes is the smell. Old books, sage, cinnamon, and a distant and faded smell of disinfectant that clung to most things in Dorian’s house. Then he opens his eyes. The room is sparse and somehow lavish all at the same time in a way he is sure only Dorian could put together. The walls are all floor to ceiling book cases, full to the point of almost overflowing with books, old and new, assorted magical nicknacks, and animal skulls of varying sizes. Other than that the only furniture is a plush chair sat by the window, a guitar left out of its case sitting in it. _I didn’t know he played,_ he thinks idly. And a kingsized bed stacked high with soft looking pillows and expensive looking sheets. Everything is colored dark. Burgundy and black, with gold and cream accents. It is elegant. 

Cullen kicks off his shoes, putting them under the bed so that he won’t accidentally trip on them when he gets back up, and slides between the sheets. He lets out a sigh. Maker, but he didn’t know sheets could feel so good. They’re perfect and soft and smooth against his skin. He tosses and turns a bit before shoving most of the overabundance of pillows off to the side. He chooses one, and it smells like Dorian’s shampoo; it must be the one he usually uses. It smells like coconut and something else that Cullen can’t quite name. It’s a subtle smell that he probably wouldn’t have noticed if he didn’t spend so much time with Dorian. 

He doesn’t sleep well. His body aches and he’s still hungry. He tosses and turns until finally he gives up and rolls onto his back with a frustrated huff. His hunger isn’t the only thing keeping him awake. He’s hard, achingly so. He can’t remember what he dreamt about, but with the smell of Dorian overwhelming him and how unbearably horny he feels right now he has a few guesses. He’s not sure how long he slept, but he has to take care of this before Dorian comes looking for him, he’s not entirely sure he can handle this level of embarrassment right now. 

He peeks down the hallway before slipping into the bathroom. He splashes cold water on his face and looks at himself in the mirror. He looked rough. The bags under his eyes and shakiness of his hands reminded him a bit too much of when his withdrawal was at its worst. Layered on top of that is a flush of arousal. His best options are to either take a cold shower, or to rub out a quick one. He’s not sure he could handle the embarrassment of touching himself then having to look Dorian in the eye, so he settles on taking a shower. 

He lets out a sigh as he frees himself from his pants, and can’t help but giving himself a few strokes just for how good it feels. He steps out of his pants and into the shower, flinching a little when the cold water first hits his skin. He leans against the wall and closes his eyes, just standing under the water, letting it cool his head. He does his best to ignore the thoughts of Dorian, wet and naked, that standing in his shower gives him. 

When Cullen is done towel drying he pulls on his pants and it takes him about twice as long to button them as it should his hands are shaking so much. It also isn’t until he’s getting dress that he realizes he left his shirt in the living room from when Dorian was tracing runes on him. He slips back into Dorian’s room to make the bed and tries to think up some excuse for using Dorian’s shower without asking, incase the man brings it up. 

Cullen is surprised to find Dorian still working in the living room when he walks out, instead of moving to his office. A half dozen books are sprawled open around him and he’s cross checking information on both his laptop and phone. He’s so engrossed in his work he doesn’t here Cullen come down the hall. 

“Do you have any food?” Cullen asks as a way of announcing himself.

“Only if you think it’s going to do anything,” Dorian replies, closing his laptop before Cullen has a chance at reading anything on it, and stacking his books on the coffee table. “If you keep eating and it turns out you aren’t digesting anything properly you could just end up making yourself sicker.” When he’s done cleaning up his research, shoving a handful of notes in one of the books and placing it slightly away from the others, he turns to where Cullen leans in the doorframe that lead to the hallway. He blinks for a moment, his eyebrows raising and his eyes dragging up Cullen’s exposed torso. Cullen can’t help but blush at the attention, he’s been feeling self conscious about his weight gain, but there’s no mistaking the look Dorian just gave him was appraising. 

“Enjoy your shower?” The mage asks.

“I, uh, it was, nice. I guess. For a shower. You have a nice one. Shower I mean. Well your whole bathroom is nice. I mean your whole house is nice, but you know that.” _Just stop talking Rutherford,_ Cullen thinks to himself. 

“Yes, quite,” Dorian says with a knowing smirk that just intensifies Cullen’s blush. “Well. I think I might have an idea of what’s going on with you,” Dorian’s face twists in confusion as he talks, which doesn’t do much for Cullen’s nerves. “But I’d rather not make any diagnosis until I'm sure. Would it be possible for me to meet Hawke? Ask him a bit about the spell he cast, or at least get a sample of his magic to get a better idea of what I’m working with.”

“He’s on his way to Kirkwall,” Cullen grimaces when he flops down on the sofa next to Dorian. “He needs to be there for the full moon. His boyfriend is a werewolf who’s registered in the Kirkwall Circle. They’re strict there with their Full Moon Laws. All local lycanthropes need to be accounted for starting two days before, through to two days after the full moon, and Hawke isn’t going to leave Fenris alone during a shift.”

“From what you told me about Hawke he doesn’t strike me as the kind of witch who cares about registry law. I thought he wasn’t even registered himself.”

“He doesn’t and he’s not. Fenris is though, and he wouldn’t risk putting him on the Templars watch list,” Cullen can feel a headache coming on. He’s starving, and he’s not sure he can handle waiting until Hawke can come back. 

“Are the other’s still at Varric’s? Maybe they can fill in some of the gaps in your story. I do have a theory, it’s just… unorthodox, and I’d like a better understanding of the situation before I start making wild claims.”

“Isabela and Merrill are staying for the week. Carver is leaving in a few days I think.”

“Good,” Dorian says, pulling out his phone and sending a text to Varric to let him know they’ll be coming over. He glances up at Cullen, and gives him a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out Cullen. I won’t let anything happen to you, I have so few worthwhile friends as it is, can’t risk losing my best one.” Cullen can’t help but smile back. Hearing Dorian say that is more reassuring than he could have expected.

Cullen followed Dorian into the garage. He expected them to take Dorian’s car to Varric’s, but Dorian seems to have another idea. He slips onto his motorcycle with ease and looks so good it should be illegal. It wouldn’t be the first time Cullen rode with Dorian, but with how his body reacted to Dorian’s hands just gently touching him Cullen can’t help but be a little nervous of what being pressed up against his body might do to him. Dorian raises a brow at his hesitation and tosses a helmet to him that he just barely catches. 

“Coming?” Dorian asks. Cullen just nods and walks over to straddle the bike behind Dorian, feeling his body, firm and warm against his, letting his hands settle on the mages waist. _I might be_ he thinks to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen and Dorian make it to Varric's, where they find out whats wrong with Cullen.

After a long ride of sitting with as much space between Dorian and himself as he could and thinking of baking cookies with his grandmother to keep himself from thinking of what the best way to bend Dorian over the motorcycle and fucking him without knocking it over would be they finally pull up outside of Varric’s house. Cullen slips off the bike almost as soon as Dorian pulls up the the curb and puts some distance between himself and Dorian to clear his head while the other man parks and locks up. He could use another cold shower right about now. 

He’d be lying if he said he’s never thought of it before. Dorian is funny, and charming, and probably one of the most attractive men Cullen has ever met, and if things had been a bit different when they met Cullen might have asked him out back then. He wasn’t in a good place to even consider dating then. He was still angry about how bad things went in Kirkwall, still going through withdrawal, and honestly, still pretty terrified of most kinds of mythics, especially mages. Its nothing short of a miracle that they even became friends. Being more just wasn’t an option then. 

_Why not now?_ The little voice in the back of his head says, and he shakes away the thought. They’ve been friends a long time, and yes, Dorian may flirt on occasion, but he’s not sure it’s enough to risk their friendship over. He looks over at Dorian to ask if he’s almost ready just in time to see him bend over to pull his notes from the saddlebag, giving him a perfect view of a perfect ass. _Maker preserve me._

Dorian leads the way up Varric’s driveway and Cullen tries not to stare at his as the entire time he follows him. _Pull yourself together Rutherford,_ he chastises himself. It only takes a few seconds after Dorian knocks for Varric to open the door for them and Cullen can immediately smell food. He feels a grimace twist his face and lets out a dejected groan. He’s so hungry he could cry. Varric just raises a brow at him. 

“Hey there Curly, you’re looking rough,” Varric’s voice is teasing, but his face is worried under his tight smile. “Hope you guys are hungry, we couldn’t agree on what we wanted so we ordered from like, five places,” he swings the door open and leads them into the living room were Merrill, Carver, and Isabela are all sitting around a large coffee table stacked high with delivery food. Cullen can feel his mouth watering and he’s pretty sure he’s pouting. 

When they walk in Isabela looks up and gives a hum of approval as she gazes at Dorian. Gazes isn’t the right word. Leers, maybe. Undresses with her eyes? That sounds more appropriate. Carver just glances up and gives Cullen a curt nod hello before digging into a stack of pizza piled on his plate. Merrill hops up and throws herself into Cullen’s arms for a hug and kisses him on the cheek. 

“Oh Cullen! Varric said Hawke made you sick! You look like you’re sick. Not that you look bad. I’m sure you’ll be fine!” Cullen just shakes his head and gives her a kiss on the top of her head.

“Thanks Merrill,” he says with a sigh. 

“Why didn’t you tell us your mage friend is so hot, Cullen?” Isabela says with a smirk, winking at Dorian. 

“I like her already,” Dorian announces, winking back. “She has good taste. I’m Dorian of house Pavus, most recently of Minrathous. A pleasure to meet you,” He introduces himself with a charming smile. 

“The pleasure is all ours, sweet thing,” Isabela says.

“I’m sure it is,” Dorian’s charming smile slips into something more wicked. Carver clears his throat, glaring up at him from where he’s sitting. “You must be Carver. No need to worry about me trying to steal your girlfriends. You’re more my type, handsome,” he says with another wink, this time aiming it at Carver, who just blushes a bit. 

“I wasn't worried,” he just mutters under his breath before taking another bite of pizza. 

“I’d also venture, from what Varric and Cullen have told me, that this delectable creature is Isabela, and you,” Dorian says, turning to Merrill who is still standing, and taking her hand. “Must be Merrill,” he kisses the back of her hand and she giggles.

“He’s so charming! You should have introduced him to everyone sooner, Cullen.” Cullen just snorts. 

“Don’t let him fool you, he flirts like that with everyone,” he says taking a seat in a chair between Carver and Varric.

“Not _everyone_ , I do have some standards,” Dorian says, he and Merrill both sitting cross legged on the floor. 

“Yeah, he never flirts with me,” Varric says. “What’s up with that?”

“Sorry dear, I thought if we flirted too much everyone would find out about our secret love affair.”

“Hah, can’t have that happening. Dig in you guys, we ordered way to much,” Varric says, stacking his own plate with Antivan and Rivani take out. 

“Oh, is that Nevarran?” Dorian chimes, popping a dumpling in his mouth. Cullen just sits there staring at the pile of food sadly, before finally caving and plucking a pierogi off of Dorian’s plate. He takes a bite and frowns.

“How does it taste?” Dorian asks.

“Like sadness.”

“Really?” Merrill says, grabbing one from the table to try.

“What does sadness even taste like?” Carver asks, also grabbing a pierogi and taking a bite. “Tastes fine to me.”

“Isn’t that an Orlesian thing? Been spending too much time with Leliana huh?” Varric asks. 

“It’s a side effect of whatever is happening to him. Speaking of,” Dorian picks up his book and pulls out some of the papers and a pen that he had stuffed between its pages out. “I have a theory, but it’s… It would be helpful if someone could explain the spell Hawke used last night. The circumstance it was used under and any immediate effects it had will also be helpful, but most importantly the spell itself, as detailed as you can.”

“Oh! I can help,” Merrill piped up, bouncing a little where she sat. “The was this pretty girl at the bar making eyes at Cullen. She was so cute, with curly brown hair and really nice leggings with roses on them. Oh, Cullen was blushing so much. They were adorable!”

“Focus kitten,” Isabela said, taking Merrill’s hand, giving it a little kiss. 

“Right, sorry,” Merrill blushed a bit. “So the pretty girl obviously was trying to get Cullen to talk to her but he was too shy, so Hawke decided he wanted to help. He used some spell I’ve never seen before. His magic was already off because of how much he had been drinking and I don’t think he knew what kind of magic he was trying to use. Something similar to the enchantments used on love potions maybe.”

“Any specific ones? I’m not overly familiar with such magic, love potions are one of the few things I can think of that are frowned upon as much in Tevinter as in the south,” Dorian says, writing everything Merrill says into his notes. “Publically at least,” he adds under his breath. 

“Maybe an ardor or cupio enchantment? I’m really not sure,” Merrill offers apologetically. “Nothing very strong though. Not like the amare enchantment, and even then without the other requirements for a love potion it wouldn’t have any direct effect on a person,” she added quickly, realizing the kind of trouble Hawke could get in for that kind of magic. 

“Garrett doesn’t know how to make love potions. He barely even knows how to make healing potions, but that’s besides the point. He’s an idiot with a knack for breaking all sorts of laws, but that’s not something he would get messed up in,” Carver sounds intent, protective, and he locks eyes with Cullen as he speaks. They were both templars in Kirkwall, Carver knew first hand his brothers reputation. Love magic was ranked as one of the highest offenses for mages. A magic that could be used to manipulate someone’s free will. Cullen didn’t need any convincing that Hawke would never make a love potion, but he couldn’t help but start feeling panicky at the thought of what an enchantment like that could have done to him. 

“Anyway,” Varric cuts in. “Hawke said he was going to help Curly with his flirting. Instead of playing wingman like a normal person he decided to cast some spell. It had a kinda purplish glow, smelled kinda like doritos, the cool ranch ones.”

“His magic was off because of the alcohol, even if he was sober I don’t think he would have cast it right, but I think something went wrong. It felt kind of like horror in consistency and the pull it had on energy, but warmer and less like a snap, more of a hug that's too tight. He cast it from his core, not his chest like I read most love related enchantments are,” Merrill added.

“Afterwards Curly got a headache, stumbled around a bit, then blacked out,” Varric added.

“Me and Carver took him home after that. He woke up halfway there and got _very_ handsy with Carver and told me I have a fantastic rack, which I do, then took of his shirt and passed out again.” Cullen was turning an impressive shade of red as he slid down in his chair while Isabela spoke. Carver coughed awkwardly into his fist, his ears turning red as well. Isabela smirked and gave Carver a wink. 

“Could you put a bit more context on ‘handsy’? Was it sexually charged? Affectionate? How did Carver react? Was it hot to watch?”

“Dorian!” Cullen choked out. 

“What? It’s actually important... Mostly important,” Dorian added

“It was pretty hot,” Isabela answered. “Definitely started off more affectionate, really cuddly, but then got way more sexual. He was like that with both of us, but Carver started to get jealous so he stepped in. Kinda backfired because Cullen just turned his full attention to him. Carver was way more affected by it than I would have expected, he’s generally not into men.”

“I wasn’t ‘affected’! It’s just- I just- I have a very sensitive neck and he was doing this _thing_ , and I-I, I just…” Carver let out a frustrated huff, almost as red as Cullen now and shoved a biscuit in his mouth to save himself from having to continue.

“Of course not love. You’re very heterosexual and were in no way turned on by the way Cullen was nibbling on your neck _at all,_ ” Isabela teased. 

“Right, well,” Dorian interjects before anyone can continue. Cullen thanks the maker for it, he would probably die of embarassment if this continued. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about whatever is wrong with him doing it. “That was all very helpful. Thank you,” Dorian says, he’s looking over his notes, his brows are furrowed and he seems completely baffled. Merrill leans over next to him to get a better look at his notes. Her face immediately twists with confusion and she grabs a paper from the notes. She blinks at it slowly, looks away and then looks back, as if expecting the words to change. 

“That’s not possible,” she says after a moment of analyzing whatever is on the paper, waving it at Dorian. “Right?”

“It most certainly isn’t, but here we are,” Dorian said, letting out a nervous chuckle. 

“What? What’s wrong with me?” Cullen says, he sounds frantic even to his own ears. 

“I, well that is,” Dorian fidgets for a moment and Cullen can feel himself panicking. Dorian doesn’t fidget. “Good news,” Dorian finally sits still, making sure to look Cullen in the eyes while he speaks. “I think I know what’s wrong with you. Best news is probably not fatal.” He pauses again, his face twisting into confusion again.

“Well? We have good news and best news, but there’s always bad news when you start off like that. Hell there’s always bad news. Period. And ‘probably’ not fatal doesn’t sound too promising,” Varric interjects. Everyone is silent, eyes flicking between Dorian and Cullen. All waiting for some kind of verdict.

“Right, yes, well. Bad news then. It’s impossible. I mean it is not even remotely possible. This should not have happened and I have no idea if it’s even reversible. This might be the worst news, depending completely on you and how you feel about it. Factoring your history I don’t have high hopes, but I think Hawke may have turned you into an Incubus.”

The word hung in the air. Ringing in Cullen’s ears. Incubus. It wasn’t possible, even Dorian said as much. People don’t just turn into cubi. 

“No,” he said quietly. Not entirely sure what he was saying ‘no’ to. His heart is racing and the world is spinning around him in a swirl of dizzying colors. He needed to remember his breathing excercises. In for eight beats, out for four. Or wait. Was it in for four? Fuck.

“Cullen, you need to breathe,” Dorian was talking to him. Holding his face. His hands were warm and his voice was soothing, but whatever he was saying was lost in a void of white noise. Cullen ran all of his symptoms through his head with everything he knew about cubi, and it made too much sense. The insatiable hunger, the oversensitivity to touch, how horny he felt all day. They were all symptoms of a starving cubi. He had seen it often enough in Kirkwall. 

“No,” he whimpers. This can’t be happening. Isabela is saying something, but it’s lost in the ringing in his ears. He’s hyperventilating. “Maker please no.” He remembers how cubi were treated in Kirkwall. Even registered cubi are mistreated. They’re viewed as predators, all seductress/seductor type witches were. Vilified. He remembers a raid on a whore house that employed unregistered cubi that his unit had done. He remembers how terrified the workers were. They were incarcerated. The lucky ones went into state holding, the unlucky ones went to the circles holding, the Gallows. He does his best not to remember the things some of the templars got away with doing to them. 

“Maker, this isn’t happening.” He is an incubus, a witch, a mythic. Maker no, he’s a _mythic._ Maker _no_. He’s an _unregistered_ mythic. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually the first half of what was going to be chapter 2, which really got away from me and had to be cut in half. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! Writing all the dialogue was a bit frustrating but incredibly worth it. I think so at least. Thank you so much for the kudos and comments! You can find me on tumblr [here](http://av-mello.tumblr.com/) if you'd like! Thank you again!


	3. Chapter 3

Calming Cullen down was a group effort, but after about twenty minutes he finally relaxed enough that he didn’t think he would pass out or vomit any time soon. Varric pressed a glass of water into his hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder before leaving the room. He sips slowly at it as he tries to calm his breathing down. Merrill is engrossed in Dorian’s notes, cross referencing them with the book he brought along and articles she had open on her phone. 

“I should have noticed something was off,” Isabela says, shaking her head a bit as she glances over Merrill’s shoulder. “His pheromones have been going crazy all day. I just assumed…” she trails off and her eyes flick over to Dorian for a moment. Cullen blushes at the implication, but no one else seemed to notice.

“There has to be a way to fix this,” he says, looking to Dorian and Merrill. 

“Possibly. I can call in a favor with Solas. He still owes me for helping him activate those artifacts of his and has some old tomes that might have some information on love potions that could help. It will also be easier if Hawke can come back-”

“Already on that,” Varric says from the threshold that leads to the kitchen. “Says he’ll come back as soon as he can, won’t be til at least the day after the full moon. Fenris is putting in a request for early leave. He’ll probably get it, he has a good rep with the templars. Anders is gonna be here by tomorrow morning, he was already on his way but he should be able to help.” 

Cullen dropped his head into his hands and groans. “Anders isn’t going to want to help me. Hell, he’ll probably be thrilled. The evil templar has become a mythic himself.”

“Yeah he’ll probably get some kicks from that, but he’ll just have to suck it up. Plus he’ll basically do anything Hawke asks,” Varric says. 

“Isn’t Anders the one who-” Dorian begins but Varric cuts him off and Cullen blanches. 

“We don’t really talk about it, Sparkler. Probably best not to bring it up again, ever,” he says.

“Yeah, we just like to pretend that our ‘friend’ isn’t a terrorist who uses people for his own gain and-” Carver starts, face twisting in anger. 

“Stop it Carver,” Merrill snaps at him. The tension in the room is high. Cullen and Anders tend to avoid each other when they can. In fact the last time they saw each other a punch or two might have been thrown. Hawke had to intervene before things could escalate. 

“Right then,” Dorian says. Even with all of his social graces he couldn’t hide that he was uncomfortable in the uneasy silence that fell over the room. “Cullen, even if we do find a way to undo this, and I can’t make any promises that is going to happen, it could be days, weeks, months. You’re going to have to feed.”

“I, I can’t. That’s- Oh maker,” he could feel himself starting to panic again. 

“It’s not that bad sweet thing. Most of the rumors you hear about cubi are myths, and feeding isn’t some hunter prey thing. There are plenty of people who are happy to consent to hungry cubi. If you don’t have anyone you can ask,” Isabela paused for a moment, as if waiting for Cullen to say something. Her brows furrowed and she gave him a look that could only be read as an exasperated ‘really?’ before continuing. "There are hookup and dating sites and apps like OkCubi. I’d offer my services but-”

“That won’t be necessary,” Merrill says, looping her arm through Isabela’s. “Cullen is _very_ handsome, I’m sure he can find someone of his own.” Carver seemed to agree with the sentiment, wrapping an arm around Isabela’s shoulder. Isabela just sat there with a pleased little smirk. 

“What I’m trying to say is this isn’t the end of the world. There are plenty of seductor type mythics that lead fulfilling lives, and have fulfilling romantic lives,” Isabela would know more about this than anyone in the room. She’s a siren. They may not be as widely feared as cubi, but she was still a seductress type mythic and faced many of the same prejudices. Here she was, with a loving girlfriend and devoted boyfriend and probably one of the most carefree and content people Cullen knows.

“I just, I’m not made for hookups. I can’t, I don’t know how to. Fuck. I haven’t even been with anyone since Kirkwall,” Cullen confesses. 

“Four years! Curly, I’m not sure whether that’s impressive or just sad,” Varric says after a moment of floundering for words. 

“I wasn’t in a good place after Kirkwall, and- I don’t have to explain myself! I’m just not the type for casual flings. It just isn’t, Maker I can’t,” Cullen takes a deep, shuddering breath and focuses on the water he’s still holding. _This can’t be happening._

“Cullen, I know this is hard for you, and maybe you’ll find Miss Right some day,” Dorian says as he stands and walks over to Cullen and gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “But for now you need to worry about feeding yourself. I’m sure there are plenty of pretty girls out there who will be more than happy to lend a helping hand, and if you don’t find someone in the next couple of days, at least for a one night stand you will die.”

“I, I know I just. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to pick anyone up, and I’ve never been good at it. What if I can’t,” Cullen leans back and takes some calming breaths. This is too much, and he’s scared. He hates to admit it, even to himself but this is terrifying. He still feels Dorian’s hand on his shoulder. It’s a warm anchor as it rubs gently at his tense muscles. 

“Trust me Cullen, you’ll have no problem finding a willing participant. We’ll go out tonight, we’ll help you find a pretty young thing, and you’ll charm her pants right off with your endearing shyness and Adonis body,” he says. “Everything will be alright.”

“It doesn’t _have_ to be a girl,” Cullen says, blushing, both at being called an ‘Adonis’ and at his confession. It feels wrong to call it that, his bisexuality was never something that he considered a secret, it just never came up before. “I like guys too.”

“Oh,” Dorian says quietly, his eyebrows raising slowly. “Sorry, you never mentioned before… Well, it doesn’t change anything, just broadens your chances at finding someone.” Dorian’s face is unreadable. Cullen feels like one of them is supposed to say something else. He’s not sure what, but something is hanging in the air between them. Before he can try Dorian withdrawals and whatever tension was building fades. 

"So,” Isabela starts, shifting her body to look Cullen in the eyes. “Does that make you an,” She pauses for dramatic effect. “incubisexual?” She does her best to deliver it deadpan, but halfway through the word a smirk twists onto her face. Merrill was sent into a giggling fit and Varric chuckles. Even Dorian coughs into his fist in a failed attempt to hide his smile. Cullen just groans and flops backwards onto the couch, covering his blushing face with his hands. 

“Maker, Izzy, you sound just like my brother,” Carver says. Cullen doesn’t need to see his face, he can hear his scowl in his voice. 

“You love it,” she says, laughing.

“I guess,” he says with a dramatic sigh, and Cullen sits up in time to see them share a sickeningly sweet kiss. He doesn’t want to be jealous, but right now he’s full of doubts about his own love life, and if he’ll ever be able find someone. Not just some hookup or fuckbuddy to satiate his hunger, but someone to love. 

“Don’t worry,” Merrill says, finally pulling her attention away from her research, just in time to catch the look of doubt on Cullen’s face. “Just because you have to hook up with someone now doesn’t mean that later you won’t find something more permanent.”

“Yeah, just give it time, sugar,” Isabela adds. “You’ll find yourself a nice, boring, monogamous relationship one day.”

“There is the other elephant in the room to address,” Carver says. “What are you going to do if they don’t find a way to reverse this? Are you going to stay unregistered?”

“I don’t know,” Cullen said, his world spinning again. He doesn’t want to even think about this. If things were different, if this was something natural, something possible he would do it in a heartbeat. If it were as simple as a vampire or werewolf attack. This was different though, too many questions would be asked that he’s not sure he could answer. But he can’t just be unregistered, can he?

“Might I say, as the only registered witch in the room, that I don’t think it would be a good idea,” Dorian says. 

“Really?” It’s Varric who asks, but everyone is looking at Dorian curiously.

“If he turns himself in he will be put under immediate investigation. Let’s say he just makes basic monitor lists and isn’t under intensive watch by the local templars, which he will, people don’t just become an incubus overnight and they know he wasn’t born as one since he is in their records as a retired Templar, he would have to cut off all ties with his unregistered friends.”

“That,” Carver starts in. “Or he would have to be able to point them to the source of magic that changed him.” 

“I wouldn’t do that to Hawke,” Cullen is quick to interject. “You have my word, I would never do that to him.” Carver gives him a quick nod, but Cullen isn’t sure he’s convinced. They are friends now, but Cullen didn’t have the best history with Hawke in the past.

“It’s not a decision you have to make overnight, Curly. Sleep on it,” Varric says, more willing to believe Cullen wouldn’t turn on Hawke. “What does have to be done tonight is you.”

“Do you have to say it like that?,” Cullen asks, blushing. 

“He’s right though, I dated an eccubus once and they said the longest they can go without feeding is two days, and the only way to stay healthy is to feed at least once a day. Assuming your need to feed started when you turned you won’t last past tomorrow without being sick,” Isabela says. “We should probably get on that.”

“I’ll stay behind and do some research, see if I can find anything to help,” Merrill offers. 

“I’ll stay too, I doubt I’d be much help,” Carver adds. 

“I’ll tag along,” says Varric. “But between Dorian and Isabela I’m sure one of them can get you laid, so I’m just going for entertainments sake.”

“Why don’t you go get cleaned up? We can leave whenever you’re ready,” Cullen just nods to Dorian, not able to word his nervousness. He really doesn’t have much of a choice.

***

“Ok, but if I got a sex change?” Isabela says.

“Trust me love, if you had a cock and weren’t otherwise romantically entangled, I would be all over it,” Dorian says taking a sip of his drink. 

“What are you even…” Cullen says as he walks up, feeling hopeless after another rejection. 

“Hypotheticals on how they could sleep together,” Varric answers for them. “You missed the part where she propositioned having him sleep with Carver so she could watch.” Isabela just shrugs and Dorian smirks his shoulders shaking in amusement. “Honestly I don’t think Junior would go for it.”

“A girl can dream,” Isabela sighs.

“Anyway, no luck?” Dorian asks. 

“None. This isn’t working,” Cullen sighs and takes Dorian’s drink and chugs half of it.

“What about the cute little blonde over there,” Varric subtly nods his head towards the end of the bar, where an elf with long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes is giggling her friends, glancing over to where they are all standing. 

“Oooo, looks promising,” Isabela nudges him with her shoulder. “Looks like her drink is low, go order something cute and pink with an umbrella, looks like that’s what she’s into.”

“You’ve got this, Cullen,” Dorian says, stealing his drink back. “Try to smile,” he says as he gives Cullen a push towards the bar. 

The group watches as Cullen introduces himself to the girls. He awkwardly offers the blonde a drink and laughs at something she says. Cullen shuffles about in the endearing way he does, running his hand through his hair and blushing at something one of the girls says with a shy smile. Overall it looks to be going better than his last few attempts. 

“How’s this look?” Varric hands Dorian Cullen’s cellphone, pulling his attention away from their friend’s attempts at flirting. Varric has been setting up accounts on various dating and hookup apps for Cullen. 

“Add something about his love for dogs. I have a cute picture of him with his sister’s puppies I could send you, make it his profile picture,” Dorian says, handing the phone back.

“Oh? And how’d you get that?” Varric asks, smirking. 

“He sent it to me after the litter was born,” Dorian answered. “It might be on his facebook, you could get it from there.” 

“Oh that doesn’t look good,” Isabela says and they all turn their attention back to Cullen. He’s moved away from the girls, with a tight smile and closed off body language. He excuses himself and stops at the bar to get himself another drink before making his way over with two shots. 

“Not good?” Isabela asks. 

“She was very interested, just not in me. Wanted to know if you and Dorian were seeing each other, and if not if he was single,” Cullen says downing the shot he got for himself, sliding the other over to Dorian. 

“Well what about the dwarf? The cute redhead, you two seemed to be hitting it off. Didn’t I see her give you her number?” Isabela tries. 

“Her name’s Dagna,” Cullen says. “She’s really cool and funny and we really hit it off. I’m meeting up with her and _her girlfriend_ next week to play Dungeons and Dragons. If I survive that long.” 

“Oh, can I come?” Dorian asks. Before Cullen has a chance to tell him ‘of course’ Isabela cuts them off. 

“Could you nerds focus on the task at hand?”

“I’m trying, Bela, I really am, but this just isn’t working,” Cullen snaps. 

“Hey, it’s ok,” Dorian says. “We’ll take a few moments, pull ourselves together, and try again. The night is still young.”

For a while they just hang out and drink together. No one talks about Cullen’s problem and it helps calm him down, but he can feel how unstable he is. The smell of Dorian’s shampoo when he leans in to talk. The brush of skin on skin when Isabela’s arm brushes his as she reaches for her drink. Everything has him on edge and he feels like he’s gonna go crazy if he doesn’t get off soon. It doesn’t help that his vision is blurring around the edges and his head is pounding. 

Dorian leans in to ask him if he’s ok and it takes every ounce of self control he has not to close what little distance there is between them. It’s just a brief moment but he can feel the heat radiating from Dorian’s body and all he can think of his how badly he wants to push him against the table. To taste him. His mouth, his skin, his cock. Just the thought of it is enough to make Cullen’s mouth water. He jerks away to stop himself from doing anything he might regret later. 

“Sorry. I-I’m fine,” he isn’t though, he knows it and he knows that Dorian knows it. He takes a deep breath, and when he looks up he makes eye contact with a man across the bar. He’s tall and lean, with dark hair and a tight shirt that hugs his chest in all the right ways. When he notices Cullen looking he bites his bottom lip and holds eye contact. The look he's giving him is absolutely smouldering and sets heat low in his stomach. “Oh,” he sighs out. 

“‘Oh’ indeed,” Dorian says, following the line of his eyes. 

“Ooo, he’s hot,” Isabela says, leaning over to look at the man as well. “And he obviously wants the D, you have to go for it.”

“I- yeah. I, uh, ok,” Cullen is blushing, but he stands to make his way over to the attractive stranger. 

“Go Curly. Get some,” Varric shouts after him, and Isabela ‘whoops’ for him. It’s almost enough to make him stop in embarrassment, but Maker he’s so hungry. 

Dorian watches Cullen walk over to the man, and there is immediate chemistry, more so than any of his other attempts of the night. The man buys him a drink and leans in to whisper something in Cullen’s ears that makes him chuckle and blush in that shy way that Dorian has come to adore and it makes his stomach twist. _This is a good thing,_ he thinks to himself. _He’s going to feed and survive this is a_ good _thing_. He keeps repeating it to himself, but it still doesn’t feel good. _Vishante Kaffas._

“You doing ok there, Sparkler?” Varric asks, raising a brow.

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be,” he sounds snappish even to himself and bites the inside of his cheek to shut himself up. Isabela is looking at him with wide eyes. Her mouth shapes a silent ‘oh’. She looks over to Varric who shakes his head, pursing his lips. Dorian is saved from having to respond by a commotion from across the bar. When he looks up there’s a tall, gorgeous woman yelling at Cullen and the man he was just flirting with. 

“This doesn’t look good,” Isabela says, starting to make her way across to the argument. The woman turns her full attention to Cullen, who freezes up like a deer in the headlights. She’s yelling and the man flashes her a mocking grin. Cullen is saying something but they can’t hear it. They make it just in time for the woman to scream at him to shut up, and she throws a punch. 

It lands, sending Cullen, who was caught off guard, stumbling back. Isabela is up in the woman’s face in an instant, giving her a hard shove. Varric steps in, trying to deescalate the situation before the two women start fighting. Dorian immediately moves to Cullen’s side. He wants to use his healing magic right away, but it would be dangerous to out any of them as witches, especially with Isabela and Cullen being unregistered. They just need to get out of the bar before things could get out of hand.

“Hey, listen, let’s just all calm down here,” Varric says, physically stepping in between Isabela and the other woman. “My friend never even met your boyfriend before tonight, this is all just a big misunderstanding.” Dorian takes advantage of the fact that attention is mostly on Isabela and Varric to lead Cullen towards the entrance, making sure to catch Isabela’s eye before they slip out the door. The moment they get to the car he starts healing the nasty bruise that’s already starting on Cullen’s face.

“I’m gonna die,” Cullen says from the back seat of Varric’s car on their way back to his place, crisis averted. Well, one of them. 

“You’re not gonna die,” Dorian reassures softly. He channels some ice magic into his hand and places it on Cullen’s swelling cheek. He used enough healing magic after they got out of the bar to stop most of the pain and swelling for now, but it wouldn’t be properly taken care of until he took a healing potion. 

“I’m going to die because I can’t get laid, Dorian. This is so embarrassing. I’m _literally_ going to die of embarrassment,” Cullen leans so his head is resting on Dorian’s shoulder and Dorian tries not to laugh. 

“It’ll be fine, we’ll meet up again in the morning and try again. You’ve already gotten some attention on the dating sites we set you up on, I’m sure we could set up something for tomorrow,” Varric says, looking back at them in the rearview mirror. 

“Right, sure,” Cullen didn’t sound convinced. 

“You should probably stay at my place, at least for tonight,” Dorian offers. “You probably shouldn’t be left alone until we can find out what we’re going to do about all this.” 

“Ok,” Cullen says, nuzzling into the crook of Dorian’s neck. He probably isn’t even aware he’s doing but Dorian isn’t going to complain right now. He just keeps stroking his chilled hand over Cullen’s cheek. 

When they get to Varric’s Cullen opts to wait outside by the bike while Dorian makes plans for the next day with the others. He’s already half hard just thinking about being pressed up against Dorian. At this point he doesn’t even care enough to fight it. He’s not sure he even could if he wanted. This is going to be an awkward ride. 

When Dorian finally comes out he’s carrying a poultice. Cullen reaches for it but Dorian just bats his hand away.

“Let me,” he says. He cups Cullen’s jaw with one hand, angling it so he can apply the poultice with the other. “Apparently Bull wasn’t aware that poultices are topical ointments, not for injesting. Not that I’m suggesting you weren’t either, but you would have loved the look on his face when Stitches told him.” Dorian is smirking with amusement, and that coupled with the way he’s holding Cullen’s face makes Cullen want to kiss him. It’s tempting to close the small distance between them. The moment seems to drag on forever, but is over all too soon. 

Cullen just nods when Dorian asks him if he’s ready to go. He’s blushing, and embarrassed because he’s hard now, and there’s going to be no way to hide it. Dorian doesn’t say anything, but he sits just the slightest bit tenser when Cullen slips on behind him. 

“Sorry,” Cullen mutters, trying to position himself in a way that won't be too uncomfortable for both of them. 

“It’s alright,” is all Dorian says, and Cullen isn’t really sure what to make of it. He just means that he understands, right? That it’s ok in this situation because Cullen can’t help it, and not that he’s ok with Cullen sitting here with his hard cock pressed against his ass. Right? _Maker’s balls. I need another cold shower._

He doesn’t make it to the shower. The moment Dorian has his door unlocked Cullen makes straight for the bathroom, but instead of stripping down for a shower he just pushes his jeans and boxers down enough to free his cock. 

He’s sure Dorian knows what he’s doing but he doesn’t have the brain capacity to feel embarrassed right now, he just needs to get off. He licks his palm and whimpers when he wraps his hand around his cock. He pictures Dorian as he jacks himself off. Dorian down on his knees, smirking up at him. Dorian’s mouth on him. _Maker_ but he probably has a talented mouth. He boasts about as much, and he’s got that piercing on his tongue. _Oh Maker, yes._

After he’s done cleaning himself up he’s surprised, and embarrassed, to find Dorian waiting for him, leaning on the wall outside of his bedroom, a few feet from the bathroom. Cullen is too embarrassed to look directly at him, so he just mutters ‘goodnight’ under his breath as he tries to push past to go to the living room. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” Dorian asks with a crooked smile. 

“I’ll, um. I’m just gonna crash on the couch. Where, uh, do you h-have-” he’s cut off before he can ask where the spare blankets are by Dorian stepping into his space, hooking his fingers through Cullen’s belt loops. 

“That won’t be necessary,” Dorian says, walking backwards into his room, lightly tugging Cullen along by his belt loops. “You’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight.”

“Oh really,” Cullen says, raising a brow.

“You need someone, and I’m here, and I’m willing.” He leans into Cullen’s space, but gives him enough room to pull away if he would want to.

“Are you sure?” Cullen almost closes the space between them as he speaks, their lips just barely brushing. 

“Oh, I’m _very_ sure. If you’d like, that is.” Cullen’s answer is to kiss Dorian. He means for it to be gentle, reassuring, but Dorian has something else in mind. Cullen moans as Dorian’s tongue demands entrance into his mouth, entrance he’s more than happy to grant. He doesn’t notice Dorian walking him backwards to the bed until the mattress hits the back of his knees.

“Maker, Dorian,” he pants when Dorian breaks their kiss to push him back onto the bed. He grabs Dorian’s hips when the man straddles him. “Oh Maker, Dorian you’re fucking gorgeous,” he moans when Dorian pulls his shirt off, revealing the muscular plains of his chest, the trail of hair leading down from his navel into the waistband of his pants, gold rings piercing his nipples that Cullen just _has_ to taste. 

“I am, aren’t I?” Dorian says. He moans when Cullen leans up to catch one of his nipples in his mouth. A moan that morphs into a whimpered ‘yes’ when Cullen tugs lightly at the piercing with his teeth. Cullen flips them over so he’s kneeling between Dorian’s legs. “Fuck, yes. Fuck me,” Dorian growls, pulling him down for a heated kiss that leaves him breathless. He wants to. Maker but he wants to. 

There’s an energy building around them, something like he’s never felt before. He feels more vitalized, more awake, more alive than he has all day, but it’s more than just that. He’s wanted Dorian for a long time, even if he refused to acknowledge it, even if he was afraid that that want would drive them apart. 

“Wait, Dori-ah, Dorian, please.” He hates the pained look Dorian gives him when he pulls away. Dorian starts to push himself away, he’s blushing and looks almost scared. 

“I’m sorry. I thought- it doesn’t matter what I thought I should hav-” Cullen hushes him with with a finger to his lips. 

“No! That isn’t what this is. I want this Dorian. Maker knows I want this so bad I can _taste_ it. I just, I wanted to make sure you know this isn’t… I don’t want this to be a one time thing. I want more than just this.”

“You can use me for as long as you need to,” Dorian says, lust sparking back in his eyes, replacing the nerves that were there a moment ago.

“Maker, Dorian, no. I don’t want to use you. I want you. Not just to fuck you. All of you,” Dorian’s breath hitches and for a moment he just gawks at him, looking incredulous and almost vulnerable in a way Cullen has never seen him before. 

“You’re not very good at pillow talk,” he finally says. Cullen is about to protest but Dorian shuts him up with a soft kiss. “Let’s just… Let’s just focus on one thing at a time. We can talk about the rest when I’m not achingly hard and half naked, yes?” It’s all the convincing Cullen needs, his hunger winning out over any desire to have an in depth conversation about feelings. For now, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, the rest of what would have been chapter 2 if it didn't get away from me so much. A big thanks to [Jack-The-Giantkiller](http://jack-the-giantkiller.tumblr.com/) for helping me out with this chapter, and betaing all of this (which I forgot to mention earlier) 
> 
> Sorry but there might be a bit longer of a wait for the next chapter, but I will definitely try not to keep everyone waiting for too long. You can find me on tumblr [here](http://av-mello.tumblr.com/) if you'd like


	4. Chapter 4

Dorian wraps his legs around Cullen’s waist as he lifts him off the desk in the office, letting out a gasp as his back hits the wall. The gasp morphs into a groan as Cullen resumes thrusting into him. One of Dorian’s hands tangle in golden curls as the other tugs at Cullen’s shirt, clumsily pulling it over his head. Cullen shifts his grip on Dorian’s thighs as he wriggles out of his shirt, changing the angle of his thrusts and hitting that perfect spot in Dorian over and over. Dorian shouts with pleasure, but Cullen silences him with a tender kiss that doesn’t match the intensity of his thrusts.

“Hush, love,” Cullen murmurs against Dorian’s mouth, rolling his hips in the way he knows drives Dorian mad. “Wouldn’t want the others to hear. Hear me claiming you, making you _mine_.” It’s been a week since the incident that turned Cullen into an incubus. Six days since he and Dorian started sleeping together, and already it feels as natural as breathing. 

“Fuck, _ahhh,_ fuck you,” Dorian pants out, writhing in Cullen’s grip, adding to the friction between their bodies. He can feel Cullen’s body shake with laughter before he even hears it. Cullen is about to come back with a retort but Dorian cuts him off with a lewd kiss. 

“ _Fuck,_ Dorian,” he moans when Dorian bites his bottom lip and clenches down around him. He can feel the energy building up in Dorian, pulled taut like a trip wire ready to snap. The air around them feels charged, like the moment before a lightning strike. Part of him wants to chase that snap, that strike, the transfer of energy that hits like a high. He doesn’t want to just take, though. He wants to unravel Dorian, take him apart piece by piece. He wants to feel each stutter of his breath, each flutter of his pulse, the trembling of his thighs as he arches his back to press them even closer together.

Cullen pulls out and drops Dorian’s legs, causing the mage to nearly trip over his pants where they hang off of one ankle. Muttering an apology, he pulls Dorian in for a fiery kiss before turning him around to face the wall. Dorian buries his face in the crook of his elbow and groans as Cullen slowly presses back into him. 

“Easy,” Cullen sighs, holding Dorian’s hips. He kisses the smooth skin between Dorian’s shoulder blades and starts thrusting again, slow and deep. 

“Kaffas, Cullen, _harder,_ ” Dorian moans, reaching back with one hand to grab at Cullen’s hip, urging him on. 

“Dori- _yes, ah._ ” Cullen trails his mouth along the back of Dorian’s neck as he picks up his pace. The room is filled with the sounds of slapping skin and Dorian’s grunts and moans mixing with his own. Neither will last much longer. He slides his hand up the front of Dorian’s shirt to give one of his nipple piercings a tug. “Touch yourself,” He growls into Dorian’s ear. 

Dorian strokes himself in time with Cullen’s thrusts and Cullen reaches around to cover Dorian’s hand with his own. Cullen quickens the pace of their hands on Dorian’s cock and the added sensation is enough to throw Dorian over the edge, muffling his cries in his elbow, reduced to swearing in his native tongue. Cullen finishes at the same time, grunting loudly with the last few snaps of his hips. 

The energy that has been building around them breaks. Snaps like a twig and Cullen can feel it set fire to his veins. In a way it reminds him of his first hit of lyrium, but it's a thousand times better. It doesn’t come with a promise of crashing low, and it doesn’t leave him aching and craving more but never satisfied. Not that he doesn’t want more of this. He would have Dorian whenever he could, wherever he could if it were possible, but he couldn’t do so without putting Dorians health at risk. To feed from the same person too frequently is dangerous, and he would never want to hurt Dorian. 

“Wow,” Cullen sighs when he finally comes back to himself. He trails kisses across Dorian’s shoulder before pushing himself away from where they were braced against the wall. After dropping the condom in the wastebin he grabs a few tissues to clean himself and Dorian up. 

“‘Wow’ indeed,” Dorian chuckles softly. 

It’s when they’re finished redressing and Dorian’s hands are in his hair, trying to tame his curls that Cullen feels the full effects of feeding settle into him. Now that he’s had a moment to calm down it feels less like a drug and more like a runner’s high. Still exciting and energizing but less fiery, less needy. He feels a pang of guilt as he watches Dorian’s face. Dorian has had bags under his eyes ever since they started this that no amount of sleep seems to take care of, and in these moments after he’s hazy and unable to focus. It’s to be expected, Cullen is literally taking his energy. After reading about twenty pamphlets given to him by Anders and Isabela he’s sure he’s making it as comfortable for Dorian as he can, but still, he can’t help but feel guilty for taking so much. 

“Well,” Dorian says, breaking Cullen’s train of thought. He moves his hands down from where they were styling Cullen’s hair to cup his cheeks instead. Dorian’s eyes are a bit hazy, but his smile is fond. “Not entirely what I’d call ‘a quick snack before I go to the store,’” he says, imitating Cullen’s Fereldan accent as best he can. 

“Sorry,” Cullen mumbled, burying his face in the crook of Dorian’s neck and wrapping his arms around his waist. He breathes in and his senses are flooded with the smell of Dorian. _Maker, how does he always smell so perfect?_

Cullen smiles mischievously against Dorian’s neck before he picks him up again, earning a surprised yelp from the other man, and puts him on the desk again, kissing along his jawline. Just as the mage is about to protest he places a soft kiss on his lips and pulls back. 

“I _was_ just planning to give you a handjob,” Cullen glances away when he says it with a blush and a nervous smile.

“You aren’t allowed to look so adorable when talking about handjobs. It’s illegal, or at least it should be,” Dorian smiles, pulling Cullen in for a sweet kiss, tangling his fingers in his hair.

“You’re gonna mess my hair up again,” Cullen pulls away just long enough to say before leaning in for another kiss. 

“And whose fault is that?” Dorian asks.

“Mine,” Cullen replies, sounding a little too proud of himself, and Dorian laughs against his mouth.

“Weren’t you going to the store?” 

“I was, before someone distracted me,” Cullen says, resting his forehead against Dorian’s. Dorian just hums contently.

“Are you ready to go face all of your friends who just heard you fuck me through a wall?” Dorian asks, a hint of laughter in his voice. Cullen just groans and presses his face into Dorian’s neck; his cheeks feel like they are on fire. After a few moments of Cullen’s silence Dorian shakes with laughter and Cullen somehow manages to blush even harder. “You like it, don’t you.”

“I don’t- that isn’t,” before Cullen can stutter through any more protests Dorian tilts his head up for another kiss, pulling back with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Get me a Redbull while you’re out. Fenris drank all of mine and frankly I’m too scared to make him replace them,” Dorian says, sliding off the desk. “I’ll probably be in the lab most of the day, so just bring it to me when you get back.” 

Cullen takes a moment to collect himself before walking into the living room to face whoever is in the house right now. Hawke, Fenris and Anders all showed up during the week, but Carver had gone back to Kirkwall for work reasons. Throughout the week everyone spent their time migrating back and forth between Varric and Dorian’s houses, much to Dorian’s displeasure. ‘ _Great, your friends are still here. Eating all of my food. Using my shower without asking. Vishante kaffas, I think Fenris and Hawke fucked on my couch last night. I’m going to need to buy a new couch,_ ’ Dorian had grumbled one morning as he made himself coffee. Coffee which was promptly taken by Isabela the moment he looked away.

“Hey there, big guy,” Hawke said with a suggestive grin and a wink.

"If I had known you were open to friends, sweet thing, I'd have offered," Isabela says with a dramatic sigh, sprawling back on the couch, draping her arms over Fenris and Merrill’s shoulders. 

“You did offer, multiple times actually,” Cullen says, eyeing Hawke out of the corner of his eye. Hawke smirks as he moves to wrap an arm around Cullen’s shoulders. 

"I think Cullen Ratherfuck would rather fuck Dorian Pav _ass_ , the _neck_ romancer," Hawke says, tapping his finger against a hickey on the side of Cullen’s neck, sounding oh so pleased with himself. 

“That was awful,” Cullen says, slapping his hand against the his neck, as if he could still hide the mark. Isabela and Merrill giggle, and Fenris just groans rubbing his hand over his face. “I’m going to the store, do any of you need anything,” Cullen asks, wriggling out of Hawke’s arm.

“We’re good,” Isabela says, just as Fenris says, “We’re out of energy drinks,” and Isabela elbows him in the ribs. 

“Get something sweet!” Merrill chimes in.

“Oh, get a cake! A thank you cake. ‘Thanks for fucking me so I don’t die!’ It’s the best kind of cake,” Hawke says, and Cullen rolls his eyes as he opens the door to leave. “Oh, and don’t forget a scarf, big guy,” Hawke adds. 

Cullen nearly trips over Varric when he turns to walk out the door. 

“Whoa there, Curly,” Varric says as they steady each other. “Yeah, you should listen to Hawke, a scarf might be a good idea.” Varric grins when Cullen covers the hickey, blushing. 

“I’m leaving now,” Cullen announces, shuffling past Varric and closing the door behind him. 

“Oh my tits, Varric, you missed it,” Cullen hears Isabela say enthusiastically through the door. “It was better than porn.” He’s almost at the garage when he realizes he left his keys on the kitchen table. He lets out a defeated sigh, and walks back into the living room in the middle of Isabela’s retelling of his and Dorian’s earlier escapade.

When Cullen gets back from the store Fenris, Isabela and Varric are all still in the living room. They follow him into the kitchen to immediately start picking at the snacks he got for everyone. Dorian comes up from the lab looking tired, and zeros in on the case of Monster right away. He pulls one out and chugs half of it, grimacing at the warmth. He lets out a soft gasp when he sees Cullen pull a cheesecake out of the last bag.

“Is that for me?” Dorian says, reaching for it and looking at Cullen with hopeful eyes. 

“I mean, kind of?” Cullen answers, and Dorian gasps again and takes the cake, leaning in to kiss Cullen on the cheek. 

“You’re gonna make me so fat,” Dorian says, his voice sounding almost dreamy, before he slips past him, taking the entire cheesecake with him down to the lab. 

“Wait no that’s for…” Cullen trails off as Dorian closes the door. “That was for everyone,” Cullen says almost helplessly to the others, and Isabela pouts a bit.

“You two are grossly cute together, you know that?” Varric asks around a mouthful of chips. “The Ex-Templar and Tevinter Pariah, I couldn’t make that up if I tried, and I am _very_ good at making shit up.”

“Indeed. You are the last person I would have expected to fall into bed with a Magister,” Fenris nearly spit the last word out.

“He isn’t a Magister,” Cullen says defensively.

“But he is a mage,” Anders says, leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, glaring at Cullen, keeping his distance. 

“That doesn’t change how- it doesn’t change anything. He’s my best friend.”

“‘Witches cannot be treated like people,’” Anders quotes Cullen’s own words to him. 

“Stop. That was a long time ago. I was wrong, I know that now.” 

“And if you haven’t noticed, he’s a witch now too,” Hawke says, stepping up behind Anders. 

“And that just nullifies all his past mistakes? We’re just supposed to accept that he-”

“He isn’t the only person in this room who fucked up in the past,” Hawke says. “And he’s not the only one who was forgiven for said fuck ups. So maybe just lay off doing or saying anything that might fuck up his newly blossomed relationship with his hot Tevinter boyfriend.” Anders scowls but doesn’t say anything else.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Cullen says, and Varric lets out a snort, rolling his eyes. 

“Sure he isn’t,” Anders says with a smirk. “Just the guy you live with, grocery shop for, and have sex with every night.”

“We don’t live together,” Cullen says, a little baffled.

“Really?” Hawke says, taking a bag of chips from Varric, tipping it back and gracelessly spilling crumbs onto his beard.

“Yes, really.”

“Huh, well then,” Hawke says, looking over to Varric who just shrugs. “Anyway, Merrill and the grumpy bald guy went down to the lab, we’ve done pretty much all we could, so we’ll have to wait and see if they figure anything else out. Wish I could be more help but this is really out of my depth.”

“I have to get back to the clinic, and Merrill is needed at the alienage, so we can’t really stick around anymore,” Anders says. 

“Plus, Carver won’t stop texting me about how lonely he is, and how we need to send his girlfriends back,” Hawke chimes in.

“Aw, I’m sure you’re paraphrasing, but it’s still sweet,” Isabela says with a smile.

After a few hours of Fenris destroying everyone at Mortal Kombat the mages emerge from the lab and everyone starts saying their goodbyes. Solas was the first to duck out after saying goodbye to Dorian and giving Cullen a curt nod. Fenris and Hawke are staying at Varric’s for a few more days, but everyone else is leaving for Kirkwall. Anders is the next to leave, exchanging information with Dorian before giving Hawke a big hug, and of course hugging Merrill, because it is impossible to leave without hugging Merrill. 

“Goodbye my new mustachioed friend,” Hawke says just before stepping out the door, engulfing Dorian in a bear hug. Dorian awkwardly pats his back in return, not having expected the hug. “Take care of Cully for us, Maker knows he has no idea how to take care of himself.” Finally Dorian closes the door behind them, letting out a sigh. 

“Peace at last,” Dorian turns around with a big grin, walking over to wrap his arms around Cullen waist. “No one to clog my toilet, or use up all of my hot water. No one eating all of my food. Just you and I.” 

“I could- I could leave too, if you want your house to yourself for a while,” Cullen says, shuffling nervously.

“You don’t have to,” Dorian says, leaning away, his brow furrowing. “That’s not what I was implying. Just that it’ll be nice to have some time alone, the two of us that is.”

“No wonder everyone thought we lived together,” Cullen says with a little laugh, reaching to take one of Dorian’s hands. Dorian opens his mouth as if to speak, but snaps it shut with a tight smirk, guarding his expression and leaving Cullen wondering where he put his foot in it. 

“You don’t have to stay, if you don’t want to. I’ll be getting ready for bed. Feel free to join me, if you like,” Dorian says, slipping away from Cullen and making his way to the bathroom. Cullen follows after him. He doesn’t bother knocking when he hears the sink running, and just walks in to find Dorian washing his face. Cullen doesn’t say anything at first, weighing his options as he grabs his toothbrush. He brought it, along with a week's worth of clothes and some other necessities earlier in the week and has barely left Dorian’s house since. 

He finally settles for, “Would you want me to stay?” after spitting out his toothpaste and rinsing his mouth. Dorian glances at him in the mirror above the sink, in the middle of brushing his own teeth. He didn’t answer until he was finished and Cullen could barely keep himself from fidgeting.

“It would be… efficient, with your current condition,” Dorian says.

“I’m not sure that counts as an answer Dorian,” Cullen says, he reaches for Dorian but the man slips out of his grasp yet again, heading into the hallway.

“Do you want to live here? Over a mage’s lab? I’d still have to conduct my work as I always have.”

“That stopped bothering me a long time ago, Dorian,” Dorian finally lets Cullen catch him in the bedroom, and Cullen wraps his arms around his waist from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. “You’re avoiding the question.” He waits a moment, but Dorian doesn’t answer. “You know, we still haven’t talked about what all this means for us.”

“What exactly _does_ it mean? You say you want more than sex, but I don’t know what else I have to offer.”

“You’ve, you- Dorian,” Cullen lets out a sigh and turns Dorian to face him, resting their foreheads together. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

“I can’t fix you. I can’t find a way to turn you back. I can keep looking but-”

“Dorian, that isn’t what we’re talking about right now. We’re talking about us, if there is an us, because if you don’t… if you don’t want to be with me I’m not sure I can keep doing this. I wouldn’t have come to you for just sex, you’re too important to me.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe that,” Dorian scoffs. “How long have we know each other, and you wait until you’re about to die to even consider touching me? I’ve flirted with you for years, you’ve never been interested before.”

“I was interested! Just, afraid I guess,” Cullen sighs and steps back, giving them both some space. “I wasn’t ready for anything after Kirkwall, but you were there, and so, so tempting, but I just couldn’t trust myself. I was, afraid of you and captivated by you all at once, and I was still so angry at mythics.”

“But this isn’t Kirkwall anymore, you aren’t that man anymore. If that changed then why didn’t-” Dorian starts, moving closer to Cullen, but Cullen cuts him off.

“It was too much to risk. You’re the best friend I have, I couldn’t risk losing you, so I just ignored how much I wanted you,” Cullen chuckles ruefully against Dorian’s shoulder when the other man pulls him into a hug. “I’m an idiot.”

“You are,” Dorian agrees, voice teasing. “You’re an idiot for ever believing you would lose me.”

“I think I love you,” Cullen says, voice muffled by Dorian’s shoulder.

“I think I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thrilling conclusion! Ok, maybe not 'thrilling' but thanks for all the comments and kudos and I hope you all enjoyed this fic as much as I did. I want to say a special thanks to [Jack-The-Giantkiller](http://jack-the-giantkiller.tumblr.com/) not only for betaing but also for making me write when I was being super lazy, because honestly without her this probably would have taken another week to update. 
> 
> Anyway, you can find me on tumblr [here](http://av-mello.tumblr.com/) if you'd like


End file.
